TVR Ledger

Big on flavor! We often get asked "what do I do with short ribs?" and "are they good?" Well those "in the know", know just how delicious beef short ribs are when prepared properly. The bottom line is the beef short rib is a cut bet braised or slow cooked, these methods of low and slow cooking will bring out all the flavor and tenderness this cut has to offer. I got an idea the other day on sort of a new way to utilize this cut and make it the centerpiece of the whole meal.

This dish is made up of several components that all come together for an outstanding hearty dinner.Thompson Valley Grass-fed Beef Short Ribs: One package about 2.5 pounds. Cut between the rib bones to make individual pieces, season with salt and pepper, sear off in a heavy skillet and slow braise with one diced carrot, diced onion, diced celery, diced garlic, thyme, beef stock and red wine. (I was in a time crunch so I ran them in my pressure cooker for one hour)Roasted Mushrooms: Take 1/2 pound and thick slice, toss with melted butter or olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 min.The Pasta: Your choice, but something that will catch and hold the sauce, cooked al dente, I used Campanelle.Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce: Take 1/2 pound of mushrooms, whole or halved depending on size. Sauté in a sauce pot, season with salt and pepper. Once cooked through cover with equal parts of Sherry and half and half. Let simmer while the other stuff is cooking. Once ready, put all the mushrooms into a blender with just enough of the liquid to blend into a smooth thick cream sauce.Gremolata: Take the zest of a lemon and fine diced flat leaf parsley and combine.To bring it all together: In a pan mix the cooked pasta with just enough of the cream sauce to coat the noodles and stir in the roasted mushrooms. Take the remaining cream sauce and just cover the bottom of a serving platter with it. Place the pasta mushroom mixture on top of the sauce, and top it with the star of the show, the fall apart tender braised short rib pieces. Sprinkle the top with the Gremolata.

Want to get a hold of some Thompson Valley Grass-fed Beef Short Ribs visit our Order Information Pagethey are currently in stock..

This coming Tuesday will mark the final delivery to the Truckee area for this year. 2018 has been a crazy year of sales and we have only a limited selection of cuts remaining. Check out the order information page for some fantastic deals on roasts and steaks. The deadline to have your order included is Monday November 26th at 3:00 pm

​Our Stock Up For Winter Sale is kicking off with Boneless Chuck Roast on special for $6.29/lb you save $2.00/lb. Use these flavor packed roasts for soups, stews, pot roast, or for the summer slow cook and shred for BBQ beef or Italian Beef sandos. See us at the Truckee Farmers Market or visit ourOrder Information Page

Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.

After 8 to 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat and cover with water by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

There are a couple of events on the horizon that are tailor made for a great piece of Thompson Valley Grass-fed Beef, Valentines Day and St. Patrick's Day. With that in mind we have some great specials going on this month. Perfect for your special someone Filet Mignon, New York Steaks and Tender Loins and T-loin Tails are all $2.00 off /lb. Anytime during winter and especially for St. Patrick's day when turned into Corned Beef our Beef Briskets are $1.00/lb. off. For these and other specials visit our Order Information Page, look for the prices in red.

A big thank you to Scott Lawson from the Plumas County Museum for providing us with some outstanding photos from the museum's archives. The pictures below show Thompson Valley Ranch in the early days when it was known as the Illinois Ranch and John W. Thompson from which the valley and the creek derived their names.

John W. Thompson, the man who really got things started.

Winter transportation around Thompson Valley

Looking down on the ranch in the early days. The barn in the fore ground still stands today and features a barn quilt at the peak.

The original brick house build by John W. Thompson at the ranch. The house was quite the show place sitting on a knoll just off to the side of what would become LaPorte Road.

Scott Lawson and his group of dedicated volunteers do a fantastic job preserving and displaying the history of our area at the Plumas County Museum. I highly encourage you to visit and spend some time, you wont be disappointed.

Our holiday Prime Rib Roasts have sold out for the season, and we have just one of our Whole Tenderloin Roasts left in stock. A big thank you to all of your that purchased one from us. If you are having one of our roasts for Christmas or New Years, before you begin to feast, remember to send a picture of the roast over to our Facebook page to be entered for a chance to win a combination beef pack. We will post all the pictures at the beginning of 2018. Thanks again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours.

After much time dealing with an older host and platform Thompson Valley Ranch has come into 2017, well almost 2018 with a new and dynamic website. While it is not complete, I guess a good website never is, it is up and running. We hope you enjoy the new look and feel of the site, we think it gives you a good look into who we are and what we do. Check back frequently as we will be adding some new features and content in the not so distant future.